Dr. Dave’s Blog

We’re thrilled to announce that David J. D'Apolito, D.M.D., has been selected as a recipient of the Smiley Award in the Woodbridge area, recognizing your outstanding achievements in dental excellence. What is the Smiley Award? The Smiley Award is a highly selective...

Recently, actor Val Kilmer (https://nypost.com/2025/04/02/entertainment/val-kilmer-batman-actor-dead-at-65/) died, and it reminded me of what I thought was one of the greatest roles he played in his depiction of Doc Holliday in the movie Tombstone in 1993.  I know he...

Sometimes we see patients, for whatever reason, breaking one of their front teeth and are in need of an emergency repair. This is one such case where the patient just bit into something the wrong way and fractured his tooth. We did an immediate bonding repair of this...

One of the more common side effects people get when they are taking antibiotics is diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues. This is because the antibiotic can wipe out certain normal and healthy bacteria in our GI tract that breaks down food and helps us absorb it into...

One of the systemic diseases we can sometimes identify by our dental examinations is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. GERD is an entity whereby stomach acid comes up through the esophagus and into the mouth. The acid, now in the saliva can cause the normal...

If you are just getting a dental examination or routine cleaning, you might wonder why we check blood pressure. First, it is a vital sign that is considered as a standard of care procedure to check for as it may have total health considerations. It gives us a baseline...

Vitamin D is a very important vitamin for certain body functions.  We know it is essential for helping the body absorb phosphorous and calcium which is essential for strong bones and developing teeth.  It also helps regulate our immune system and studies have shown...

No, this is not some made up internet story, it is legit.  There is a procedure called osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP) that is being performed for people who are blind in both eyes due to corneal disease and have exhausted all other options.  Other than corneal...

Recently an elderly woman came to our office with a history of having an approximately 20-year-old upper denture that she said became rapidly loose about four months ago.  No matter how much denture adhesive she used it would get loose after a little while.  Now, at...

Sometimes patients come to us and notice dark spots on their teeth with no sensitivity and they are concerned. With the two photos here can you tell the difference on close-up photos? You probably can. However, when looking in the mouth from a mirror a little distance...